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Oregon Achieves... Together!
A Message from the Director of the Oregon Department of Education, Dr. Charlene Williams
Dear Education Community,
Teachers: More Than Appreciation
This month we celebrate Teacher Appreciation, but as we all know, one month is not enough for this worthy recognition. Oregon’s educators show up each and every day with extraordinary dedication, resilience and heart. They are the pulse of our schools and they do more than teach.
To our Oregon teachers: You inspire, nurture, advocate and empower. You meet students where they are, lift them up and help shape their knowledge and experiences; you contribute to their understanding of the world around them and dreams for the future. The impact you have on lives—often quiet and unseen—is both profound and lasting.
In a world full of change and challenges, you remain a constant source of hope and guidance. For every lesson planned, every late night grading, every word of encouragement—you deserve our deepest gratitude.
On behalf of all of us at the Oregon Department of Education: thank you for everything you do for Oregon students.
Early Literacy Visit: Harney and Lake Counties
I had the pleasure this month of visiting Harney and Lake Counties to connect with educators, families, and community partners who are deeply committed to early literacy. It is always great to be in these spaces because context matters - the needs of our schools in rural Oregon are different than the needs of those in other parts of the state. These visits help reinforce how our agency can support individual districts and are a powerful reminder of the impact that dedicated, local efforts have in shaping a strong foundation for our youngest learners.
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 Left photo: Dr. Williams & Deborah Watts, regional teacher of the year, Arthur D. Hay Elementary, Lakeview School District.
Right photo: Dr. Williams reading with a student at Double O Elementary in Harney County.
Educator Wellness
To support education-system employee wellness, we will begin featuring a monthly article in the Education Update newsletter. We know that creating a culture of belonging and holistic wellness for the education workforce leads to higher levels of professional satisfaction and promotes employee retention and well-being, which creates a ripple effect and impacts students’ success and positive outcomes. Their first article is included below, in the body of this month’s newsletter - we hope you will take the time to review.
In Love and Justice,
Dr. Charlene Williams
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Breathe deep, find your feet, smile, eyes on the horizon
Welcome to the Employee Wellness monthly news section, brought to you by the ODE Health in Education Unit. This unit works to advance concepts and resources for health, mental health and well-being in Oregon’s education system.
In a 2023 guide for developing systems and structures that support educator well-being, the authors describe how “an ecological systems lens (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) supports leaders in understanding how culture and various experiences, relationships, environments and systems influence an individual, a group and/or a system.”
The three levels of this ecological system can be described as follows:
- Personal/Individual refers to what is going on within individual people (biologically, psychologically).
- Interpersonal/Collective refers to individuals’ interactions with each other; it includes relationships, community and the collective experience.
- Structural/Systems refers to infrastructure, processes, organizational aspects, resources and policies that establish the conditions for the ways people think and act.
More on employee wellness...
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Our team at Oregon Healthy Schools is excited to announce the launch of The Wellness Wire, our brand new newsletter focused on all things health and well-being for schools, districts, and beyond! This monthly publication will provide valuable insights, articles, and resources to support a healthier, happier school environment for students, staff, and families alike.
Stay tuned for upcoming issues focused on nutrition, physical activity, social and emotional well-being, staff-wellness and more. Together, let's foster a community where everyone thrives!
Read the first article here, and enter your email to subscribe to future issues. Questions or feedback? Please reach out to us any time by completing this form. We also encourage you to stop by during our new weekly office hours on Wednesdays from 1:30 - 2:00 PM. We would love to connect!
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Healthy eating throughout the summer helps students grow strong and do well in school. That’s why we’re happy to share that the Oregon Summer EBT program is back for summer 2025! This program gives families money to help buy groceries when school is out. Each eligible student can get $120 for food over the summer. Benefits begin issuing on May 22.
More about Summer EBT and how families can get the benefit...
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 On May 5, ODE launched the Competitive Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Request For Application (RFA) for Oregon school districts! The application window closes June 30, 2025.
The competitive CLSD grant provides $55 million in federal grant-in-aid over four years to support districts in improving literacy outcomes for Oregon’s most underserved children, from birth through 12th grade. Approximately $11 million per year will be distributed to school districts via a competitive process, with up to $22 million available in year 1 of the grant.
More about the grants...
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